Hell Fire
by Nightcrawlerlover
Summary: A collection of ficlets where Buffy and the gang are in the Yu-Gi-Oh universe. Now complete.
1. Hell Fire

**Here's a collection of Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover ficlets that I cooked up one day. The reason why I call it Hell Fire is because I like the song "Hellfire" from the soundtrack to the 1998 Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. **

**This is AU, and the pairings are various in here, of course. The reason why is because I like variety, and a variety of things is a good idea, too. **

**Disclaimer: Genius Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh. Joss Whedon (also a genius) owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I own the fanfics and writings I cook up from time to time.**

* * *

Hell Fire

"Oh, Buffy, how you must hate me," said Kaiba as he sat down on the stone bench.

Buffy blinked, her emerald eyes full of puzzlement. "What?" she asked as she took in what he was wearing. He wore a long white sleeveless KaibaCorp-designed coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with black sleeves from his shirt coming out from under it.

"Here you are, a young woman of the world. How I must bore you to death."

Buffy sucked in her breath in total shock. "No, never!"

But then, when Kaiba turned to her, she gasped. His cobalt eyes seemed to gleam with some kind of emotion that she knew and feared all too well. Before she knew what was happening, he then pinned her to the seat and got on top of her, his trademark smirk adorning his face.

"Don't flatter yourself, angel," Kaiba purred into her ear. "You are the Slayer, yes, but you also have an animal inside of you. It's calling to you. Yelling at you to release it. Let it out."

As Kaiba then lowered his head and attached his mouth to her throat, all Buffy could do was lie there on the stone bench and let him do what he wished to her. Her strength was gone. After that test she had gone through, what with having to battle a vampire with her brain power instead of her physical power, she still wasn't sure if she had gotten her strength back.

"Kaiba," she whispered, "stop it. Please, stop."

"I don't think so," Kaiba calmly replied, and then looked at his handiwork. Buffy's skin was now marked with nips and bruises. He smirked.

That was how possession worked.


	2. Yami Vs Larry

**Hey there! I'd like to thank **Neko Kyuketsuki HyuugaUchiha **for her nice review on the first chapter of Hell Fire. I'm glad that she likes it, too. :) This chapter is for her. :)**

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Yami Vs Larry

Yami simply smirked as Lawrence "Larry" Blaisdell, who was known to all at Sunnydale High as a bully and a jock, got to his feet, wincing at the pain he had earned from the blast of Shadow Magic Yami had thrown his way (which was painful, but not at all fatal), while his cronies just looked at Yami, stunned.

"Pathetic mortal," growled Yami. "If I didn't know any better, and I most definitely do, Larry, you're just using the facade of being heterosexual just to hide the fact that you're actually gay."

Gasps flew from all around the room, while Larry just looked at Yami, not knowing what to say for once.

Larry didn't know what to make of this.. this... guy. He had those deep, crimson eyes that, it was said, could look into a person's soul or read their aura. He also had that calm, cool and collected stance as well. His hairstyle was one that Larry had never seen previously, either.

For one thing, it was different. It featured multiple layers, including long blond crocked, pointy locks for his fringe. Some of the blond locks were jutting upwards. The rest of his hair featured five large spikes colored black with magenta rims all along the edges.

"Well, news flash for you, Larry," said Yami in that still calm, cool and collected tone. "Being homosexual is nothing to be ashamed of. Even I know that, and I happen to be straight, meaning that since I'm a guy, I like girls."

He then turned to Amy Madison and winked. She blushed a little, and then turned to Larry and glared at him.

"How could you?" she snarled upon catching his eyes. "Besides, you should know better than to harass girls just because you're ashamed of your sexuality. How could you be like that, especially to my friends Willow and Buffy?

"And you can forget about asking me to the prom as well," she added, "because we are through."

She then turned to Yami, and her glare transfigured back into a smile, which he returned.

"I'm sorry about that, Yami," she said as she locked arms with him and they headed down the hallway. "I didn't really mean to, you know, almost get in the middle of that."

Smiling still, Yami replied,  
"It's all right. I understand. After all, you were right to snap at Larry the way you did. That was very brave of you."

Amy then smiled herself.

* * *

**Well, I hope you're liking this so far. I know I sure am, of course. :)**


	3. Puppy Love

**Hey there. :) Here's a new chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh ficlet collection "Hell Fire". I'd like to thank **Harry2 **and **Neko Kyuketsuki HyuugaUchiha** for their nice reviews and encouraging me to write more, of course. :)**

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Puppy Love

Dawn, seventeen, couldn't help but smile to herself as she leaned into the shoulder of her boyfriend Joey Wheeler, also seventeen, while they were sitting on a stone bench in the park. There was a full moon tonight, the stars were shining, and so far, there weren't any vampires or monsters around that could spoil this perfect moment between them.

"Ya know somethin', Dawn?" said Joey. "I never really liked Buffy's seein' you as a kid. To me, you're a young lady." He then took the initiative and looked her up and down, liking what he saw. She was wearing a red turtleneck covered by a blue jeans jacket, black Levis that seemed to go on and on over her legs, and blue-and-white striped Converses. "And a good-looking one, at that."

Dawn smiled and then blushed a little. If Joey was a witch – which he definitely was as she had experienced the effects of the spell he had quite possibly cast on her – then he was definitely a good one, as he had told her once that he preferred to use his magic for good. She felt that she couldn't agree more there with him, and had told him so. He replied that he was glad about that.


	4. Hero

Hero

_I am so high, I can hear heaven  
I am so high, I can hear heaven  
Oh but heaven, no heaven don't hear me_

_And they say that a hero can save us  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait  
I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles,  
Watch as we all fly away_

All Buffy, Xander, Willow and Dawn could do was stand next to the safety of the trees and watch in surprise and shock, while Yami simply just used some martial arts moves on the vampires that had tried (and failed at) sneaking up on him.

The moves, however, were ones that Buffy knew all too well, as she herself had used them quite often.

First, there was a roundhouse kick, and then a high jump kick. Whatever move it took to bring those bloodsuckers down, Yami knew how to use it.

_And to think I taught him those moves without even realizing it, _she thought as Yami then whipped out a stake and then twirled it right before plunging into the heart of one of the vampires. The other vampire was sent into a state of shock as he saw his friend transfigure into dust and then disappear. Yami, for his part, then got back to his feet and turned to him.

"Ready to go again, bloodsucker?"

Yami's smooth, baritone voice did sound quiet to some, but tonight, it might as well have echoed all over the cemetary, as Xander, Willow, Buffy and Dawn heard it quite perfectly. The vampire turned away and then tried to suckerpunch Yami, but Yami caught the punch, and then dusted him.

"Oh, well," said Yami as the dust faded away into the night air and the howling of a wolf soon took over, "as they say in French – _c'est la vie_."

However, it was then that Dawn ran up and hugged him. "Yami," she said, "that's French. Your voice – it really has the power to drive me wild. Please, speak some more French."

Yami gave her a devilish smirk, and then said, "_Oui, oui, mon cher_."

As Buffy, Willow and Xander could do nothing more than look on stunned, while also doing their best not to laugh, Dawn, having a boldness she had no idea she possessed until now, then kissed her way up Yami's arm (Addams Family style).


	5. Father Figure

Father Figure

_That's all I wanted, something special,  
Something sacred in your eyes,  
For just one moment, to be bold and naked  
At your side_

_Sometimes I think that you'll never understand me_  
_Maybe this time is forever, say it can't be_

_That's all you wanted, something special,_  
_Someone sacred in your life_  
_Just for one moment, to be warm and naked_  
_At my side_

_Sometimes I think that you'll never understand me_  
_But something tells me together, we'd be happy_

_I will be your father figure (oh baby)_  
_Put your tiny hand in mine (I'd love to)_  
_I will be your preacher teacher (be your daddy)_  
_Anything you have in mind (it would make me)_  
_I will be your father figure (very happy)_  
_I have had enough of crime (please let me)_  
_I will be the one who loves you_  
_Until the end of time_

-George Michael, **Father Figure**

* * *

Yami noted how whenever Buffy talked about Giles being there for her like a father, a light would make its appearance in her face and her emerald eyes would light up.

But whenever she talked about her father, who he had long since heard about from her mother Joyce, who he had taken a liking to, and was alas now dead, Buffy would frown, especially when remembering her eighteenth birthday (as he had let her down, choosing work instead of his own daughter), and she would sometimes talk about the divorce and say how it was his fault.

"He cheated on Mom with his secretary," she once said. "To this day I still don't know how Mom can live with herself. The lies. The phone calls she would receive from Dad telling her he was ‛working late'. The deception."

His amethyst eyes lit up, and he smiled as he remembered how Joyce had treated him like the son she had always wanted, especially when it came to wanting to talk about boys and what they were like.

"You make a great big brother figure for Buffy," she had once said, her eyes sparkling and a smile on her face. "I just know it. I can tell because you want to protect her, but at the same time you know you can't always do that – especially twenty-four hours a day. Sometimes you have to stand back and watch while she learns hard lessons on her own. I know what that's like myself."


	6. All Star

All Star

_Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me  
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed  
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb  
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead_

_Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming_  
_Fed to the rules, and I hit the ground running_  
_Didn't make sense not to live for fun_  
_Your brain gets smart, but your head gets dumb_

_So much to do, so much to see_  
_So what's wrong with taking the back streets_  
_You'll never know if you don't go_  
_You'll never shine if you don't glow_

_(Chorus)_  
_Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play_  
_Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on, get paid_  
_And all that glitters is gold_  
_Only shooting stars break the mold_

-Smash Mouth, **All Star**

* * *

Never had Andrew seen such a Pharaoh before. Oh, sure, he had read about the Pharaoh Atem before in books. But, the Atem he had read about in a book looked almost exactly like the one currently sitting across from him.

The tri-colored hair, the purple cape (which, in Andrew's view, explained a lot since purple stood for royalty), the Egyptian raiment, and those eyes – the color of blood – that seemed to look into a person's soul.

"Andrew, are you all right?" asked the Pharaoh. "You seem kind of quiet."

"Sometimes I am," replied Andrew. "I don't know why, though."

"I see," Atem replied. "I know how that feels myself as well," he added, much to Andrew's surprise. He caught sight of the astonishment on Andrew's face and laughed kindly. "I can't, as you say, ‛spell it out' for you in details. That wouldn't be a good idea right now. But I can help you out if you need it, and I think that right now you definitely need help."

"Really?" asked Andrew. All his life, he had been overlooked, passed over and simply made to fade into the background. Usually he was known to other people (which also sometimes meant the Scooby Gang) as just "Tucker's brother" and "the other guy". But now, however, Pharaoh Atem himself was not only assuring him that he could help Andrew if needed, but was also addressing him by the name he had been given since the day of his birth. His real name. Andrew.

Andrew smiled, knowing that at least someone not only saw him when he thought he was invisible, but also called to him by his real name.

And that had to be quite an accomplishment he had never gotten with the Trio, either.


	7. Hard Workin' Man

**Here's a new chapter for my "Hell Fire" Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover ficlet collection. I hope you like it as much as I do writing these. :) After all, Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossovers are, as I've said before, quite fun to cook up and write sometimes.**

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Hard Workin' Man

_I'm a hard workin' man_  
_I wear a steel hard hat_  
_I can ride, rope, hammer and paint_  
_Do things with my hands that most men can't_  
_I can't get ahead no matter how hard I try_  
_I'm gettin' really good at barely gettin' by_

_Got everything I own_  
_By the sweat of my brow_  
_From my four-wheel drive to my cowboy boots_  
_I owe it all to my blue collar roots_  
_I feel like I'm workin' overtime on a runaway train_  
_I've got to bust loose from this ball and chain_

_I'm a hard, hard workin' man_  
_I got it all on the line_  
_For a peace of the promised land_  
_I'm burnin' my candle at both ends_  
_'Bout the only way to keep the fire goin'_  
_Is to outrun the wind_

-Brooks and Dunn, **Hard Workin' Man**

Andrew Wells notices something for the first time. It's quiet, except for the soft strains of the song "Lay Your Hands On Me" by Bon Jovi flowing through the air like water or rain while coming from somewhere – probably the radio with the volume turned down – although Andrew isn't sure why. The red satin bedsheets keep smoothly caressing his naked back, and he's lying beneath a powerful Pharaoh, who is known to both Andrew and the rest of the Scooby Gang as Atem, and is unclothed except for the purple cape which he usually insists on wearing all the time (and often makes Andrew wonder if it gets dirty), Andrew clutches at the sheets, his azure eyes closed.

The scary thought of the others would say if he was caught by them in this position crosses his mind before he opens his eyes and notices Atem's enticing and curious crimson gaze as it roams all over his unclothed male body, his hands gently gripping Andrew's shoulders for a bit before moving all over his skin.

"Such white skin. Almost like marble," Atem's powerful baritone voice – which could've put both Warren and Jonathan, had they still been alive, into a trance – says, breaking the silence that Andrew feels has been there for too long. His crimson eyes soon look into Andrew's own sky-blue ones. "But, however, it's so pale. That's what worries me. Have you been staying inside for too long and not getting enough sun, little one?"

Andrew then feels thankful that Atem has spoken first because the silence is kind of getting on his nerves, like it usually does. After all, silence can be kind of loud sometimes, almost like it's trying to hide or mask someone or something. Plus, it's a subject Andrew knows about all too well.

Finally, he speaks. "Well, Your Majesty-"

"Please," Atem interrupts, holding up a tanned hand, "call me Atem. For we are in my quarters in Scotland, and you don't have to call me ‛Your Majesty' or ‛Your Highness', which is usually when you are either in the presence of the Scooby Gang or outside my quarters. And speaking of whom, the Scooby Gang also have to refer to me as ‛Your Majesty' or ‛Your Highness' unless they are in my quarters too. It is only when they're in my room that they are more than welcome to call me Atem.

"All right?" Atem adds.

Andrew thinks this over and nods, getting the message at the right moment.

"That's good, Andrew," Atem says.

Andrew groans, feeling Atem shifting his body and soon gets lost in the sensation of the ancient one kneading his skin with his tanned knuckles.

It is then that Andrew remembers something that can only be classified as a ‛painful memory' and one he doesn't like to recall unless he wants to – the Scooby Gang and many other people, when talking about him, never use his real name. Instead they insist on referring to him as ‛Tucker's brother', ‛the other guy', ‛what's-his-face' and ‛what's-his-name'.

However, when he hears about this, Atem actually calls the Scoobies out on that one day while simultaneously letting all of his royal anger out while also keeping his temper under control much to the shock of both Andrew and the Scoobies by saying,

"His name is Andrew, you guys. Don't you get it? Haven't you remembered his name by now? I didn't think so. So stop referring to him by all those other names. It's really mean, not to mention degrading. I shall refer to him as my most trusted advisor. In another time, Andrew could've been the one I would turn to for advice."

Andrew pulls himself out of the flashback just as he feels Atem straddling his hips before lowering himself onto Andrew's now hardened manhood.

"Oh, Atem" is all Andrew can think of to say before he loses the train of thought – or rather, what he was really going to say – completely.

Atem, now smirking calmly, then leans down and gently grips Andrew's shoulders before beginning to move up and down on him – but at a slow pace, of course. After all, going too fast too soon doesn't work too well. Taking one's time, Atem knows, is best personified in sayings such as "Make haste slowly" and "play it by ear". He has heard of those sayings recently and has once asked Andrew what they meant.

* * *

_"Andrew, my servant," Atem calls, his baritone voice echoing all over the castle, where it's heard by the Scoobies, who exchange puzzled looks with each other. Atem then smiles as he hears Andrew coming and waits. Soon Andrew comes into his quarters, and Atem's grin grows a little._

_"What is it, Atem?" Andrew asks, bowing a little before locking eyes with the Pharaoh._

_Amethyst eyes meet an azure gaze before Atem finally speaks._

_"It's these eloquent modern expressions, Andrew. I hear them quite often, but I don't know what they mean – basically, ‛take one's time', ‛play it by ear' and ‛make haste slowly'."_

_Andrew pauses and thinks for a bit. His brow is furrowed. Then his eyes light up as he gets the answer._

_"Well, Pharaoh," he begins, "since you asked, I'll tell. First, ‛take one's time' means to go for something, but take it at a slow pace or at one's leisure. ‛Play it by ear' means to improvise on something, especially when it comes to writing, or make something up as one goes along. And last but not least, ‛make haste slowly' means that activities should be performed with a proper balance of urgency and diligence."_

_He looks at Atem, who looks thoughtful as he processes what Andrew has told him._

_"Hmm," Atem finally says. "Thank you, Andrew. You really know your English. And you are my trusted advisor as well. I knew I made the right decision when I picked you for the job of advisor, too."_

_Andrew smiles a little at the thought of being seen by the Pharaoh as an advisor._

* * *

"Andrew... Andrew..."

Andrew blinks a little to see Pharaoh Atem, his amethyst eyes filled with concern. "Yes, Atem?"

The concern leaves Atem's eyes and is replaced by laughter as Atem then remarks, "I can see your mind must've been quite restless for you to have that memory of when I called you into my quarters that one day."

Andrew looks down at the sheets and nods, as he also remembers that day. He also wonders why there's all the hush-hush about something secret going around as of a few weeks ago, and he still can't understand it. Meanwhile, Atem, smiling now, moves up and down on Andrew, picking up where he left off, and then finally reaches his climax, hissing out Andrew's name only for Andrew to join him.

Then, after getting off of Andrew and helping him to his feet, Atem uses his powers to whisk away the sweat and seed from between his and Andrew's bodies, especially their thighs, and then the bedsheets (so that the sheets look as clean as ever).

Soon he says, "You ready to tell the other Scoobies what I have found out so far, Andrew?"

"Yes, Atem," Andrew replies with a nod as Atem then snaps his fingers causing Andrew's clothes to reappear on his body – without any wrinkles, which Andrew sees to be quite an accomplishment – before making his own kingly raiment reappear as well. "But not now, though. I still have to recover from – well, you know..."

He lets the sentence hang in the air, but Atem soon catches on and replies,

"I understand. You just lay down and rest for a bit. After all, as you sometimes say, rest heals the mind and spirit as well as the body itself."

Andrew nods in agreement as Atem flashes him an encouraging smile before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

It's then that Andrew notices how quiet it really is, as the radio's turned off.

However, Andrew simply shrugs, closes his eyes while lying back into the pillow on the bed and then tries to get some sleep.

Atem perks up his ears as he hears the familiar voice say in a whisper, "Your Majesty?"

He looks over and sees her right next to him, and smiles.

"Yes, Dawn?" he asks.

Even though she's now eighteen, Dawn still holds onto habits like biting her lower lip. She does that now – something Atem finds to be quite intriguing. Finally, after wracking her brain a little, she then asks,

"Was there something Andrew wanted to tell us – something that involves you?"

Atem nods. "Yes, Dawn. There is. But he doesn't feel like divulging it right now, though. He needs to rest for the time being."

He then looks to see if Dawn has gotten the hint, and is pleased to see that she definitely has.

"Good for you, Dawn. Glad you understand, too," he says while reaching up and gently stroking her cheek. Dawn smiles back as she leans into the caress.

The moonlight showing through the windows of the castle indicate that it is early evening, and everything is kind of quiet.

As Dawn sleeps in her bed, Atem watches over her like the big brother he's seen as in the view of both her and Buffy. At that moment, a thought occurs to Atem and he smiles at the phrase ‛big brother figure'. He believes it's the right phrase that fits him quite perfectly, just as ‛advisor' is the right word that personifies Andrew, too.

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**Well, I hope you like this chapter as much as I liked writing it. :)**

**~Nightcrawlerlover**


	8. Faith and the Devil

**Hey there! Here's a new chapter for my Hell Fire ficlet collection. I call it "Faith and the Devil" because it's about time someone wrote a ficlet about Faith Lehane and Yami Bakura. So I figured, why not me? For one thing, I keep seeing in my mind an image of Faith Lehane as she dances in the (for now) empty nightclub known as the Bronze in Sunnydale while Yami Bakura watches her from the shadows. So with that image in mind this is what I cooked up one day. Hope you like it! :)**

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Faith and the Devil

_I walk a lonely road,_  
_The only one that I have ever known_  
_Don't know where it goes,_  
_But it's home to me and I walk alone_

_I walk this empty street_  
_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams_  
_When the city sleeps_  
_And I'm the only one and I walk alone_

_I walk alone_  
_I walk alone_  
_I walk alone_  
_I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_  
_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_  
_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_  
_'til then I walk alone_

_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah,_  
_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah_

_I'm walking down the line_  
_That divides me somewhere in my mind_  
_On the border line_  
_Of the edge and where I walk alone_

_Read between the lines_  
_What's fucked up when everything's all right_  
_Check my vital signs_  
_To know I'm still alive and I walk alone_

_I walk alone_  
_I walk alone_  
_I walk alone_  
_I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_  
_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_  
_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_  
_'til then I walk alone_

_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah_  
_Ah-ah, ah-ah_

_I walk alone_  
_I walk a..._

_I walk this empty street_  
_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams_  
_When the city sleeps_  
_And I'm the only one and I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_  
_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_  
_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_  
_‛til then I walk alone..._

-Green Day, **Boulevard of Broken Dreams**

Her exotic raven hair shining in the ceiling lights in the Bronze, which was empty for now, and her dark eyes gleaming with excitement, Faith Lehane was dancing her sweet little body off just to achieve her idea of perfection, as well as to get some of the extra energy (which happened to be from slaying a few vampires before coming to the Bronze) out of her body. Apparently, she was loving the song that was currently playing – The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks, no doubt – and it was one of her tastes as well, especially when it came to music.

_Three thirty in the morning  
Not a soul in sight  
The city's lookin' like a ghost town  
On a moonless summer night_

_Raindrops on the windshield  
There's a storm moving in  
He's headin' back from somewhere  
That he never should have been_

_And the thunder rolls  
And the thunder rolls_

But, watching her from his vantage point in the shadows was... none other than Yami Bakura himself. Wearing his usual clothes of a blue-and-white striped shirt, blue jeans, plain modest Converses and a black trenchcoat over the shirt, Yami Bakura, his white hair gleaming under the lights and his dark chocolate eyes, which were set in a face many young girls had referred to as handsome, eyed the Slayer who was, according to so many of the vampires that had crossed his path when he took a shortcut through a cemetary, beautiful but deadly. Or rather, very wild and dangerous. Like an exotic jungle cat, or even a tiger maybe.

Unfortunately for the vampires, however, Yami Bakura was not at all scared or put off by their glowing yellow eyes or their bumpy foreheads. Not even the animalistic growls that flew from their throats just as they pounced on him or their bared fangs as they tried to feed from him would faze him. Instead, Yami Bakura simply would step to one side and watch as the vampire would fall to the ground and almost end up with a mouthful of grass in place of the crimson life force it so desperately wanted, needed and craved so badly from the humans it hunted in order to survive – which it did, being a creature of darkness.

Yami Bakura would take that as his cue, whip out his stake and then wait for the vampire to rise to its feet before turning and facing Yami Bakura. But that was the last thing it usually did before feeling the sharpness of the stake that Yami Bakura would thrust into its heart. The last sight the vampire would see with its golden eyes, before turning into dust and vanishing into the night wind, was usually Yami Bakura standing there with that wolfish grin or smirk on his face (which was said to be very handsome according to not just the vampire's previous victims, but also its fellow vampires as well).

As Yami Bakura pulled himself out of that memory, he focused on the young woman who was still dancing as she moved her hips to the music and loved it all at the same time.

_Faith Lehane, _he thought. _Now **there's **a young woman I've heard of for quite some time, but never had the... **pleasure **to meet for myself. _

Apparently, he had heard of Faith Lehane. She was the kind of young woman who loved to dance, and also was very elegant with it as well. Plus, according to her, after dusting a vampire, she would feel all "hungry and horny". Plus, she was often known for wearing black leather (specifically jackets or corsets) and tight pants. That was her style. Her dark eyes would sparkle with mischief, especially whenever she was dancing or with a guy.

Right now, though, Yami Bakura noticed, Faith was dancing by herself – no other guy or dance partner in sight.

He then secretly smiled to himself at his luck. It was with that thought that he made up his mind.

Her dark hair flying around her as she danced, Faith Lehane felt that she was definitely working off all that extra energy she had gotten after dusting that vampire that had chosen the wrong night to block the entranceway to the Bronze. He had mistaken Faith for a needy young woman who was out for a good time and used his seductive charms on her, hoping that he would get both a good lay and then a quick meal. Instead, however, he had found himself frozen for a bit with a wooden stake through his heart before finally becoming the one thing he had always feared of along with his kind, and that was dust in the wind.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Shocked by the voice as well as the familiarity of the tone in it, Faith stopped dancing and then turned around very slowly. When she saw who the owner of the voice was, her dark chocolate eyes widened in surprise just as the realization of who it was came rushing back at her full force. She had met him once before...

_As the vampire transfigured into dust on the wind and disappeared, she blinked once and then twice before looking down at the stake that was still being gripped by her fingers. A thought then occurred to her – she wasn't the one who threw the stake. So who was it that actually dusted the vampire if it hadn't been her? _

_Faith looked around, and then her eyes widened when she saw a young man standing there behind her. He had white spiky hair and dark chocolate eyes, which were set in a face that was, according to the number of girls that had told Faith about him, very ‛handsome'. Well, they sure were telling the truth there. His clothes were quite neat too. They consisted of a blue-and-white striped shirt and blue jeans. Over the shirt was a long black trenchcoat, and on his feet were modest Converses. _

_But the thing that shocked Faith was the stake in his hand. Was it possible that he threw the stake at the vampire and dusted it? And if that was true, had there been some kind of spell he had put on the stake that instantly caused it to fly back into his hand after it pierced the bloodsucker's heart? _

_She wasn't sure if there were answers to those questions. _

"_Thanks, F," his voice – deeply cultured and very British, reminding her of Giles, almost – suddenly called to her before he turned and headed away from her. Faith just stared after him in shock, and suddenly thought that her reaction was exactly how Buffy had felt when they had first met that one night outside the Bronze. _

Faith blinked as she remembered that night. It was then that she realized something else. He had called her ‛F', since that happened to be the first letter of her first name; maybe it was his nickname for her.

_Just like how I refer to Buffy as ‛B', since that's my nickname for her, _she thought and secretly smiled to herself at the comparison to her blond-haired sister Slayer there.

"Yami Bakura?" she said.

He smirked. "Ah, you remember. That's good, F. Very cool indeed."

Faith just nodded. Apparently, she had remembered him from their previous meeting too.

However, Yami Bakura seemed to think that there was no time for catching up on the latest news, though. Instead, he held out his hand to her.

"Dance with me?" he asked.

Faith thought it over as the next song, "Kiss from a Rose", began playing and the powerful, inspiring voice of Seal began floating through the room. Then she smiled.

"Sure, Yami Bakura. I'd love to," she replied.

Now smiling himself, Yami Bakura then took one of Faith's hands in his and placed the other on her waist. Faith placed her free hand on his shoulder, and they took that as their cue to begin their waltz.

Dance through time itself.

Or until the song ended – whichever came first.

_There is so much a man can tell you,  
So much he can say  
You remain  
My power, my pleasure, my pain  
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, yeah  
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?  
But did you know  
That when it snows  
My eyes become large and _

_the light that you shine can be seen_

_Baby,  
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray  
Ooh, the more I get of you  
The stranger it feels, yeah  
Now that your rose is in bloom,  
A light hits the gloom on the gray_

_Yes, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray  
Ooh, the more I get of you  
The stranger it feels, yeah  
And now that your rose is in bloom  
A light hits the gloom on the gray_

_Now that your rose is in bloom,  
A light hits the gloom... on the... gray..._


	9. Draggin' the Line

Draggin' the Line

_Making a living the old, hard way  
Taking and giving by day by day  
I dig the snow and the rain and the bright sunshine  
I'm draggin' the line (draggin' the line)_

_My dog Sam eats purple flowers_  
_We ain't got much, but what we've got's ours_  
_We dig snow and the rain and the bright sunshine_  
_Draggin' the line (draggin the line)_  
-Beat Goes Bang, **Draggin' the Line**

The eyes of Buffy, Xander, Anya, Andrew, Tara, Dawn, Giles and Duke widened as they looked at all the money that was on the table in the back room of the Magic Box. Anya had counted it all, and altogether there was exactly five thousand dollars altogether.

Not a bad amount there, either.

"Well, what do you think?" said Yami Yugi, his baritone voice seeming to bounce off the walls. "Not bad for my first time being a gigolo, either."

As their shocked looks turned from the money to the confident smirk on Yami's face, he then added, "It was quite simple, really. All I had to do was lure the pimps and the wealthy rapists into an alley before putting them under a spell of false sense of security using my Shadow Magic. Then, after I took their money, I lifted the spell. They were pretty shocked to find out how powerful I was. Of course, I couldn't have them go blabbing about it to the others, though. Nobody would believe them about a five-thousand-year-old Pharaoh coming to life and stripping them of their money, after all. So I put them into a coma – a powerful one at that – and then left them there where they can easily be found." He then smiled. "Not bad for someone like me, I might add."

It took a while for Buffy to get over her shock. But she managed to find her voice after a moment. "Wow. Uh, Yami, all this money – and you're not keeping it for yourself?"

Yami shook his head. "No, Buffy. I'm dividing it into fourths. Some I'm giving to you guys since you could use some emergency cash for a rainy day. I'm also giving some of it to you and Dawn, Buffy, so you can pay off all those bills."

He turned to Dawn, and Dawn nodded while at the same time giving Buffy a pointed look that spoke of how serious Yami was. Dawn understood exactly what Yami meant right away.

Buffy and Dawn's mother Joyce had died quite some time ago, and Buffy had been raised from the dead by the Scoobies. Buffy had sacrificed herself to save Dawn by jumping into the portal that had been made by Dawn's blood from the tower (which had been constructed by the hell-goddess Glorificus, who preferred to be called "Glory"). Glory had wanted the part of Dawn known as "the Key" so she could get back home to her dimension, and Dawn's blood opened the portal that would destroy all worlds. However, Buffy's jumping into the portal from the tower not only closed the portal thus saving the world again, but also made her realize what the First Slayer had meant when she said that death was Buffy's gift. Also, Dawn's blood opened the portal; Buffy's blood closed it, which was mostly true because of Buffy and Dawn having the same blood. However, the portal's energy then took away Buffy's life.

That made it the second time Buffy had died; the first time she had died was back in high school when she was sixteen and there had been a prophecy that foretold Buffy's death at the hands of the Master, who had drowned her in a pool of water before Xander brought her back thanks to CPR.

Then, there had been quite the surprise waiting for Buffy. Well, "surprise" wasn't the right word for it. It turned out to be quite a shock. In Tara's and Xander's words, Joyce was prepared and had life insurance, but the hospital bills she had gotten because of the tumor in her brain (which had some side effects that eventually led to the aneurysm that killed her) had pretty much sucked up all the money. In other words, Buffy had discovered she was, for all intents and purposes, broke.

So after hearing about it, Yami decided to take up a job that nobody in the Scooby Gang thought somebody like him would do – and that was to, as Xander put it, "practice the world's oldest profession". Of course, when the Scoobies heard about it, they tried to get Yami to change his mind and think of getting a different job so he could earn money in order to help Buffy out. However, Yami stood firm and stuck to his guns – and Dawn agreed with him, of course. And after seeing the serious look on Yami's visage, Buffy, Andrew, Giles, Xander, Willow and the others eventually felt they had no choice but to back off.

Of course, they had gotten the shock of their lives one moonlit night when they watched from afar and saw how Yami, his crimson eyes glowing in his handsome face, simply take down a few pimps who had mistaken Yami for a rent-boy that owed them money – but didn't know how powerful he really was. They swore at him and then tried to hit him and knock him out, but failed in doing so thanks to Yami's putting into practice what he had learned from Buffy's teaching him when it came to martial arts moves, especially how to sense when his opponent was sneaking up on him, too.

Yami then sent the pimps to the Shadow Realm before taking the money out of their wallets (which he would leave behind along with their owners). It was finally, at that very moment, that the Scooby Gang realized that Yami was serious about wanting to help them out with the issue of earning money.

Back in the present, Xander spoke up. "You know, Yami, I will say this for you – you sure have something going here for you. I ought to know, as I'm still getting used to what I call ‛the miracle of a steady paycheck' every two weeks."

Yami nodded. "I see, Alexander. And I agree with you there as well about the concept of a paycheck, except my vision of it's quite different from yours, of course."

This time Xander was the one nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. But that's OK, though."

Silence filled the room. Andrew blinked, unable to take his eyes off the pile of money at first before finally turning to Yami.

"Wow, Yami. I got to tell you, you sure knew what you were doing, and when you said it was to help Buffy and Dawn pay the bills, you sure were serious about that, too."

Yami nodded. He definitely was serious about that. "Too true, Andrew. You really, as you say, ‛hit the nail on the head with' that one."

Andrew nodded, agreeing with Yami's words.


	10. Do It Like a Dude

**Hey there! Here's a new chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh ficlet collection Hell Fire. Hope you like it... :)**

* * *

Do It Like a Dude

_I can do it like a brother  
Do it like a dude  
Grab my crotch, wear my hat low like you_

_Do it like a brother_  
_Do it like a dude_  
_Grab my crotch, wear my hat low like you_

_We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem_  
_We can do it like the man'dem,_  
_Sugar sugar sugar_  
_We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem_  
_We can do it like the man'dem,_  
_Sugar sugar sugar_  
-Jessie J, **Do It Like a Dude**

As Andrew, Xander, Buffy, Faith, Willow, Anya, Dawn, Spike and the others looked on, and the opening notes of the song Do It Like a Dude (the clean version) began to play, Yami Yugi simply moved his body to the music on the dance floor of the Bronze.

"I got to say," Faith remarked, "Yami sure has all the moves."

Dawn, Andrew and the others, unable to think of a good reply, simply nodded in agreement with Faith's words. This was saying something, as Faith herself knew she herself had awesome dance moves as well. In Yami's case, though, it was as though, if music started to play, Yami would glide into a dance step and begin to move his whole self to the music.

"I agree with you there, Faith," said Spike. "He sure is quite something out there on the dance floor, I'll say that for him."

Yami then stepped up to the table and held out his hand to Dawn. "Dance with me, Dawnie?" he asked.

Dawn suddenly blushed, feeling as though she was back in high school and not the eighteen-year-old she really was. "Sure, Yami," she said, smiling as she placed her hand in Yami's, and Yami pulled her to her feet before they went off to the dance floor.

_I'll be your dream  
I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy  
I'll be your hope I'll be your love  
Be everything that you need  
I'll love you more with every breath  
Truly, madly, deeply do  
I will be strong I will be faithful  
'cause I'm counting on  
A new beginning  
A reason for living  
A deeper meaning, yeah_

It was at that moment that the music changed, and Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden began flowing from the speakers. Yami placed one hand on Dawn's waist while holding one of her hands, and Dawn placed her free hand on his shoulder.

Then they began to waltz...

_I want to stand with you on  
a mountain  
I want to bathe with you in the sea  
I want to lay like this forever  
Until the sky falls down on me_

Buffy suddenly felt tears come to her eyes, and she sniffed a little.

Andrew noticed. Those azure eyes of his never missed anything. "Let me guess, Buffy... apparently, this is getting you right in the heart?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yes, Andrew. You see, I look at Dawn, and I see the girl I used to be before I became the Slayer – only different, though, as Dawn is quite smart despite her age, of course. However, compared to how I am right now, let's just say that when I was fifteen, I was, well, a complete flake."

All the eyes of the Scooby Gang (except Dawn and Yami as they were too busy waltzing to listen) turned to Buffy in surprise as Willow then asked, "You-you were, Buffy?"

Buffy nodded and then went on. "All I cared about then was basically boys and clothes, as my mother had put it one day when we were at the Sunnydale Mall – before she found out I was the Slayer, but didn't accept it at first, although thankfully she simultaneously and finally opened her eyes to the truth and believed me long before she died of a brain aneurysm."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Wow, Buffy. I had no idea. I'm so sorry about your mom. Had I grown up with her for a mother, and with you for a sister, I would've turned out differently – and nicer as well, for one thing."

"Yeah," Buffy remarked. "It was so different for me then. But I'm glad I accepted my calling at first when I realized that Merrick, my first Watcher, was telling me the truth, back in Los Angeles. When I first came to Sunnydale High in my sophomore year, I didn't realize that my calling had caught up with me again. And I did try to run away from it sometimes."

After a moment, Buffy shook her head as she remembered how she had been back then before she fully embraced her calling, only to abandon it because of the death of Kendra Young, who had been her sister Slayer before Faith had come along, and then running away to Los Angeles after getting expelled by Snyder and then kicked out of the house by her mother.

Then she said, "I must sound like a major loser."

"No, Buffy," said Willow, while the others, shaking their heads, disagreed with Buffy about her statement of being a loser. "You're not a loser. You were just afraid back then because you felt that your being the Slayer was getting in the way. But it really wasn't."

"That's true."

They all looked up to see Yami and Dawn approaching the table. "Look, Buffy," Yami said as he sat down at the table, while Dawn took the seat next to him, "you have changed over the years ever since you first came to Sunnydale and started high school in your sophomore year – and I don't mean in looks or brains. You have grown up into a very awesome young woman, and you've become a whole lot smarter as well."

He smiled as he spoke those words, and Buffy couldn't help but let a smile grace her own visage.

"Thanks, Yami," she said.

"Wow, Yami," said Andrew, who had listened very closely to Yami's speech to Buffy. "I had no idea you were so... so... philosophical. You could've given even Socrates a run for his money when it came to philosophy as well."

Of course, Yami knew who Andrew meant. He had read all about Socrates, who had been said to be the "corrupter of youth" and had said many wise things in his time.


	11. Rodeo

**Hey there! :) Here's a new chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh ficlet collection "Hell Fire". I decided to call it "Rodeo" because I was listening to the song "Rodeo" by Garth Brooks, and this is what I came up with.**

* * *

Rodeo

_His eyes are cold and restless_  
_His wounds have almost healed_  
_And she'd give half of Texas_  
_Just to change the way he feels_  
_She knows his love's in Tulsa_  
_And she knows he's gonna go_  
_Well, it ain't no woman, flesh and blood_  
_It's that damned old rodeo_

_Well, it's bulls and blood_  
_It's dust and mud_  
_It's the roar of a Sunday crowd_  
_It's the white in his knuckles_  
_The gold in the buckle_  
_He'll win the next go ‛round_  
_It's boots and chaps_  
_It's cowboy hats_  
_It's spurs and latigo_  
_It's the ropes and the reins_  
_And the joy and the pain_  
_And they call the thing rodeo_  
-Garth Brooks, **Rodeo**

Their golden eyes now full of shock, the two vampire cowboy brothers, Lyle and Tector Gorch, blinked.

For they didn't know what to make of this guy – the guy that called himself Yami.

Yami simply stood there in front of Lyle and Tector, his stance a calm, cool and collected one. His crimson eyes were full of what Tector and Lyle recognized as the feeling of having sensed – and accepted – a challenge of sorts.

"Well, Lyle, Tector, what are you waiting for?"

Even his voice – a deep, baritone voice – was something that other vampires had told Lyle and Tector about.

They had heard of Yami Yugi. Those eyes. That voice. The way he carried himself. And – now came the odd part (at least to Tector and Lyle anyway) – the aura of having fought and won so many battles that bravery had become quite common.

_And I thought that what Tector and I did was quite the accomplishment, at least for us, _Lyle thought to himself._ For Tector and I, causing the massacre of an entire Mexican village before we became what we are now sure was quite something there. And that was back in 1886, too!_

"Tector," said Lyle, "who **is **this guy? He's been eyeing us ever since he stepped over the threshold of the Bronze thirty minutes ago."

Tector shrugged. "I have no idea, Lyle. But whoever he is, he has the look of a warrior who is able to sense a challenge – and go into battle as well."

"I heard you guys," said Yami.

Lyle and Tector jumped. This was a complete shock, since they usually prided themselves, and each other, on their toughness, rugged masculinity and being cowboys. And this guy – Yami Yugi – had managed to shock them out of their undead skin!

"Lyle, Tector," Yami began just as Tector and Lyle looked back at him. "You ever heard of the game known as Duel Monsters?"

The two Gorch brothers looked at each other before turning back to Yami and shaking their heads. Clearly, they had never heard of something like that. After all, this game Yami had referred to, ‛Duel Monsters', was way after their time.

"Well, then, I guess I better show you," said Yami.

Calmly, he pulled out his Dueling deck, put it into the duel slot on his Duel Disk and then drew five cards into his hand. He looked at the cards he had drawn and smirked. For there it was – the first of the five cards in his hand. His trademark card. The Dark Magician.

"I call forth the Dark Magician – in Attack mode!" the Pharaoh called.

As if on cue, the Dark Magician made his appearance, holding his green staff. He was smirking at the Gorch brothers.

Lyle and Tector were completely and utterly shocked upon seeing what Yami had referred to as a Duel Monster for the first time.

"No way!" Tector said. "That Duel Monster – the Dark Magician – is quite something there!"

"I agree. He definitely is!" said Lyle.

"Quite the game Duel Monsters is, isn't it?" Yami calmly said, smirking at the effect his words were having on the Gorch brothers. "The way my monsters fight against those of my opponents. The way I think up strategies that show how much of a true Duelist I really am. But, more importantly," he paused for a moment, watching Tector and Lyle, and then said, "the way they seemed to, well, dance by the light of the moon or how they move so gracefully. Like the body of a dancer. Flowing like water, if you will."

Finally, still wearing his smirk, which was said to be very deadly when faced by his opponents, Yami then said, "And now, Lyle, Tector... prepare for my way of showing you my view of magic and what it is, especially when seen by vampires such as yourselves."

He looked up at the Dark Magician, who smiled at him and nodded, as though understanding what Yami was telling him.

"Dark Magic Attack!"

As Lyle and Tector were thrown backwards by the blast from the Dark Magician's wand and out of the Bronze, where they landed in a forest outside Sunnydale, one thing was clear.

They learned a lesson about messing with a former Pharaoh – although they had to learn it the hard way. And they also wondered if the vampires that had crossed Yami's path before they did had also been subjected to the same fate. If they had, it certainly didn't come as a shock. Not one bit.

After the Dark Magician nodded to Yami and then disappeared into his card, Yami then put him and the other four cards back into his deck, which he then put back into a holder that hung diagonally around his hip.

His smirk changing into a grin, Yami shook his head and then remarked, "These vampires could sure inspire me and teach me a thing or two, especially when it comes to battles as well."

With that, Yami turned on his heel, his black boots tapping against the floor, and then walked out the back door of the Bronze.

He couldn't wait to tell Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Willow, Tara, Andrew and Giles about this. He knew they would make a great audience, as he was a very great speaker. His voice, as many people could tell, could've put even the men who started World War II – Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler – under an enchantment of sorts.

One night, Andrew and Yami were looking at page 589 of a really big book, which was quite curiously titled "Chronicle of the 20th Century". On the page was the headline "Hitler suicide in Berlin", and under the black and white picture of Adolf Hitler, who had his back to the camera, the caption read "Adolf Hitler. 1889-1945. The mind of a madman".

"A madman indeed," Yami remarked. "He was a genius orator, as well as very charismatic, but he was quite corrupt."

Andrew nodded. "Indeed, Yami. He might've seemed powerful. But in the end, death, as it must, finally came for him."

Now it was Yami's turn to nod – although in agreement, of course. What Andrew had said was all too true. Adolf was only 56 years old, but by the time of his death, he was, for all intents and purposes, a broken man with his empire crumbled into ruins.

"Indeed he was, Andrew," Yami finally said. "He was born innocent, as we all are. However, he chose the wrong path in life – a path that unfortunately led him down into the grave. But I'll tell you one thing. If I had been around during his time, when the bloody war known to all as World War II was going on, I would've shown him, in my own way, exactly why I never would've liked him. I could've also told him why I never would've agreed with him about the Jewish people or the Nazis. Finally, I could've told him what I thought of his delusions of Nazi ‛supermen' as well. To accomplish all that, I would've used my powerful Shadow Magic to protect myself and put all the Nazis in comas."

Andrew, who had been listening intently as Yami spoke, now looked thoughtful. "Really, Yami? You would've actually done that?"

Yami replied, "Yes. Indeed, I would've."

The Scoobies were astonished as they listened. Andrew was having a conversation with Yami about something other than Star Wars or science fiction; instead, they were discussing history and events that had happened back then in the 1940s.

It was actually quite nice for a change.


	12. Eternal Truth

**Hey there! Here's a new chapter for my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover ficlet collection "Hell Fire", which I cooked up one day. Hope you like it as much as I did writing it, too. :)**

* * *

Eternal Truth

_Wine spills in my blood  
And your blood spills in my soul  
You have no control  
You have no control_

_Dead angels speak to me sometimes_  
_Giving me advice that I should hear_  
_You have what I'm looking for_  
_Because you're close, because you're near_  
-VAST, **Dead Angels**

As the vampire turned into dust on the wind, Yami Yugi pulled his stake back to him, twirled it with all the finesse of an expert and then put it back into his pocket.

"I had no idea," he said, his baritone voice having the power to seduce many women and girls, "that Slaying was so _torturous_."

Buffy blinked. Torturous? Was that really how Yami saw her destiny? _Then again,_ she mentally told herself, _I __probably __pretty much see it that way as well, __although I keep it secret __most of the time __at least__. __Hmm. __Maybe Yami has a point there. __I guess I just never thought of my destiny that way at all – until now, that is._

Yami then turned to Dawn and smiled at her, his crimson eyes glowing with mirth. Dawn blinked and then returned the grin, before holding out her hand to him.

"Care to dance with me among the tombstones, _mon amour_?" she asked.

Yami's smile got, if possible, even more bigger. "_Oui, oui_," he replied as he took her hand in his.

Dawn gasped. "Yami, that's French. You know, Yami," she said as they began to dance the waltz, "you always know just how to drive me wild. And I do mean in a good way, of course."

Buffy sighed and then smiled as she looked on. To her, Yami sure was quite something. And apparently he had been learning how to speak phrases of love in French (such as "_Oui_" and "_mon cher_"), as well as some Spanish (such as "_Querida_") from watching "The Addams Family". So that certainly was, in Buffy's eyes, an accomplishment that, if possible, could be learned over and over.

It was a good thing that Willow had picked up on Yami's learning something like that first. Then, she had taken the opportunity to inform Buffy about what Yami had been up to lately. Buffy felt glad knowing that Willow had told her all about "The Addams Family" TV show and the characters beforehand so that Buffy was able to get a grasp on what Yami was learning from it.

Buffy then pulled herself out of her thoughtful musings when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and there he was.

He was wearing closed white and blue robes, along with a foot-length cloak that trailed behind him, padded shoulders, cuffed wrists and a raised collar. Around his neck was a stone bearing the symbol of a hexagram. His light blue hair featured a two locked fringe, trailed to near the length of the knees and was tied at waist length.

What caught Buffy's attention were his eyes. They were a golden color (which reminded her of how the eyes of the vampires, which she had slain so many times before, would sometimes glow a golden yellow color). But she had never previously met someone who had golden eyes, but wasn't a vampire. So this was different.

"Hello, Buffy."

Buffy lowered her eyes a bit before looking up at Dartz, although she did her best not to stare into those inviting golden eyes.

"Hello," she replied, and instantly kicked herself – but rather in her mind, though. She felt that mentally kicking herself was much better, since physically kicking herself would be too painful, but she knew she did have Slayer healing, so that worked in her favor.

Smiling still, Dartz then took Buffy's right hand in his. After turning it so the back was exposed to his golden gaze, he then lowered his mouth to it and placed a kiss on the very skin that, he had heard when told the tales of the Slayer known as Buffy Summers (which he saw as a lovely name for her), was like porcelain and very delicate.

Buffy felt the heat rising upwards and into her cheeks. Internally and fearfully, she hoped that Dawn and Yami hadn't seen the hand kiss Dartz had used with her. But if they did, she hoped that at least they didn't get the wrong idea.

As though he was reading the fear in her thoughts, Dartz gently took Buffy by the shoulders, turned her around and bent to her ear.

"Don't worry about Dawn. She may be your little sister, but you two are family after all. The Pharaoh has told me all about how he's been doing a fantastic job with helping you and Dawn slay the vampires on patrol every night."

Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but Dartz pressed a single fingertip to her lips, hushing her.

"Let me finish, Buffy," he purred, and Buffy, her curiosity of wanting to hear what it was he had to say overriding her puzzlement, closed her mouth. She had a hunch that whatever it was he wanted to say, it was probably very important at the moment.

"Besides," Dartz said after a moment while gently turning Buffy to face him, "Dawn can take care of herself. She's a woman now, and she can do things on her own as well. And that means that she doesn't need you to come running to her rescue every single time either."

In her room later, after thinking over what had happened, Buffy realized that her hunch was right and that Dartz had a point there too. Dawn was still her sister, but she didn't need Buffy to rescue her from danger anymore. Now, things had changed; Dawn was now not only a grown woman, but also a strong warrior, especially when it came to her capability of doing battle with a sword. Dartz knew this because, he said, he had heard about it from the Pharaoh whenever they met every other week and discussed how their battle with evil vampires (the ones that didn't have a soul or a conscience unlike Yami's friend Angel) was going. Speaking of said battle, it had been going quite well; Dartz and Yami found that they made a pretty neat team, as Buffy had discovered one night when she found them taking out eight vampires by fighting four vampires each. The groups consisted of both male and female vampires there.

Buffy remembered being quite impressed with Dartz and Yami using teamwork, especially when fighting against those vampires – and doing it so well at that, too. It even brought back memories of the battles she had fought while alongside the Scoobies and the teamwork they used to either stop the villains' plans or bring the villains themselves to justice.

_Quick like cats when they land on their feet._

Buffy smiled at those words as they entered her brain. Somehow, she knew she would have to watch the 2004 Catwoman film with Amy again when she got the chance. After all, the title character played by actress Halle Berry sure did an awesome job, and her alter ego – who was named Patience Phillips rather than Selina Kyle – was quite a character too.


End file.
